The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live…
At this table we sing with joy, with sorry. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks…
Joy Harjo
Excerpt from Perhaps the World Ends Here
Celebrate and honor the complexity this Thanksgiving
As I prepare to gather around a table of six to celebrate Thanksgiving there have been multiple group texts regarding our menu. Who will prepare what dishes? This year I will be the guest of my daughter-in-law’s mother. I know the table will be filled with the familiar foods of turkey, mashed potato and the sweet potato/peach dish I have been making for many years. Yet there will be some unfamiliar foods that have not been part of our family tradition. We will be blending our traditions as well as food at our holiday table.
Over the past month, I have been reflecting on the complex history of Thanksgiving. I have read the memoir, Native: Identity, Belonging and Rediscovering God by Kaitlin B. Curtice. As both a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation and a Christian who was raised in a Southern Baptist tradition, Curtice shares what it means to experience her vibrant faith through the lens of her Indigenous heritage. It was her writing that caused me to further explore the Indigenous foods that were served at that first Thanksgiving that became the basis for the celebration time for A Messy Thanksgiving session.
Curtice shares that she has begun to serve Indigenous dishes for the holidays, incorporating Potawatomi stories into holiday traditions:
We are remembering and telling stories that often go untold in most American households. Instead of honoring a myth about Pilgrims and Indians gathered at a table, can we choose to honor the resilience of Indigenous peoples who are still alive today, reviving our own traditions that teach to see the earth as good and sacred?
(Pg. 86, Native: Identity, Belonging and Rediscovering God by Kailin B. Curtice)
As you gather with friends and family, I invite you to reflect on this article from Building Faith that came across my email this morning and the poem by Poet Laureate of the United States, Joy Harjo, Perhaps the World Ends Here.
Wishing you all a meaningful and Happy Thanksgiving!
Grace and peace,
Roberta
(Check out Indigikitchen, an online resource for Indigenous dishes)